 |
Forum December Circumambulating the Life of Moses - 1 from: Hazrat Inayat Khan: 'Unity of Religious Ideals' |
Moses, the most shining Prophet of the Old Testament, gave to the world the Divine Law, the Ten Commandments, which in reality was the interpretation of the Divine Law that he perceived, expressed in the words of those who stood before him at that time of the world's civilization. It is interesting to notice the Sufi saying which comes from the ages, which says: ‘Be the follower of love, and forget all distinctions’; for in this Path of Inner attainment to claim that ‘I am So-and-so’ is meaningless. Moses was found by the riverside by a princess, who knew not what family he came from, or who was his father and mother. Only the Name of God came to the mind of every thoughtful inquirer as to the Father and Mother of Moses. When people compare the teachings of different religions, and readily form their opinions upon them, they are often mistaken; it is premature to make such distinctions. There comes a stage in the evolution of an illuminated soul when he begins to see the law hidden behind Nature, the true psychology. To him the whole life reveals the secrets of its nature and character, and when he gives an interpretation of these secrets to others, they become limited, for they take the colour of his own personality, and the form of the thought of those to whom the Message is given. The story of Moses, as told by Sufis, is most interesting and helpful to the traveler on the path. Moses has been the favourite character of the poets of Arabia and Persia, and, in the poems of the Persian Sufis, Moses is as often mentioned as Krishna is mentioned in the poetry of the Hindus. Moses was walking in the wilderness seeking the light when he saw from a distance smoke rising on the top of a mountain. So he climbed to the top of the mountain, in order to find that fire. But on arriving at the top of the mountain he saw a glimpse of the lightning which was so powerful that it went throughout his whole being. Moses fell down unconscious on the ground and when he recovered his senses, he found himself with illumination. From that time Mount Sinai was the place where he often went and communicated with God. The story is very enlightening when we can think that it is possible, that all the illumination that is desired, can come to a soul in a moment. Many think that Inner attainment can be achieved by great labour. No, labour is necessary for material attainment; for Inner attainment what we need is the seeking soul like that of Moses. Moses’ falling down upon the ground may be interpreted as the Cross, which means: ‘I am not; Thou art.’ In order to be, we must pass a stage of being nothing. In the Sufi terms it is called Fana, when we think ‘I am not (what I had always thought myself to be)’. This is true self-denial, which the Hindus called Layam, and in Buddhism is termed annihilation. It is the annihilation of the false self, which gives rise to the true self; once this is done, from that moment a human being approaches closer and closer to God, and stands face to face with his Divine Ideal, with whom he can communicate at every moment of his life. The law of God is endless, as limitless as God Himself, and, once the eye of a human being of the Inner Life penetrates through the veil that hangs before him, hiding from his eye the real law of life, the mystery of the whole life manifests to him, and happiness and peace become his own, for they are the birthright of every soul. Abraham is called Habib Allah, the Friend of God.
Gayan - Chalas (these E-book are free of all charge - use their treasures well!) |
|